Goshen residents are suspects in Norfolk break-in; growing pot

LITCHFIELD -- A weekend break-in of a home on Norfolk's Litchfield Road led state police to the home of two convicted felon brothers and another woman, where police found the trio may have been growing marijuana in their closet.

State police arrested Bob P. MacDaniel, Shawn MacDaniel and Donna M. Young at their 3742 Hall Meadow Road home in Goshen Sunday, after responding to a complaint Saturday of an alleged robbery on Litchfield Road. The two brothers were each held on $100,000 bonds by police and arraigned Tuesday in Bantam Superior Court.

The MacDaniel brothers are facing charges of sixth-degree larceny, third-degree burglary, conspiracy to commit third-degree burglary, conspiracy to commit sixth-degree larceny, possession of less than four ounces of marijuana, manufacture of marijuana and third-degree criminal mischief.

Young, 55, was released from custody after being charged with manufacture of marijuana, possession of less than four ounces of marijuana, sixth-degree larceny, conspiracy to commit third-degree burglary and conspiracy to commit sixth-degree larceny for her alleged assistance in the accusations.

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According to reports, police received a call from a female victim Saturday night, who claimed her house had been ransacked by robbers.

Police reported that the house had apparently been broken into through the master bedroom window. The alleged burglars cut two corners of the window screen, pulled it out and leaned it against the foundation. Police also found a stool with footprint smear on it and a shoe scuff mark on the house's siding.

Inside the three-bedroom house, beds were overturned, drawers were open, clothing was piled on the floor and jewelry boxes were opened when police arrived, according to the report. A Mitsubishi car key was found by police on the bedroom floor, and the woman claimed neither her, nor anyone in her family owned a Mitsubishi.

When police began speaking with the victim's neighbors, one witness told police that two men -- later identified as the MacDaniel brothers -- had come to her front door and asked to use the phone. They told her they had been hiking across the street at Dennis Hill State Park, ran out of gas and needed to make a call.

Police looked through the witness' phone call list and identified a landline associated with the home at 3742 Hall Meadow Road in Goshen.

Troopers arrived at the Goshen address to find a Mitsubishi car sitting in the driveway, registered to Shawn MacDaniel, 38, and noticed that the two brothers matched the witness' description of the men asking to use her phone. The MacDaniel men denied any involvement in a burglary, even after police unlocked the car with the key found inside the victim's bedroom.

Further investigation by police inside the suspects' house led to the discovery of pots of marijuana plants growing in the closet and a book titled, "Cannabis Cultivator, A Step By Step Guide To Growing Marijuana" on the kitchen counter. Troopers also located "indisputable items" in the trash can, such as the victim's father's old driver's license and a money clip with his initials engraved on it.

Police said that Young denied any knowledge of the marijuana plants in her home and denied any knowledge of the stolen items in her bedroom area.

Bob P. MacDaniel, 41, appeared in court Tuesday with a camouflage shirt, blue wind pants and purple Croc shoes. The younger McDaniel is a convicted felon with prior burglary, larceny and assault arrests. He was held on a $50,000 court-ordered surety bond.

Shawn MacDaniel, in sneakers and sweatpants, also is a convicted felon and has 19 prior arrests in Connecticut, including an attempted murder charge as well numerous burglaries and larcenies. He was held on a court-ordered $100,000 bond, although his public defender argued that "While he has a history, it's in his past."

Both MacDaniel brothers had their cases transferred to Litchfield Superior Court, where they will appear on June 12. Young has no prior record. She is scheduled for her first appearance in Bantam Superior Court on June 12.